Ashley Chapman (Image from Grey Highlands YouTube)
The Chief Operating Officer of one of Grey Highlands’ major employers has concerns about a highway reconstruction project the municipality is pursuing.
Grey Highlands council approved awarding a $3.1-million contract for the reconstruction of Highway 10 (Toronto Road and Sydenham Street) in Flesherton at its June 7 meeting. It’s being funded primarily by provincial grant dollars.
The approval came after council heard from Chapman’s Ice Cream Chief Operating Officer Ashley Chapman, who says the project could cost the Markdale business millions.
He says around 70 per cent of Chapman’s sales occur between May and September. He says lane reductions during the Highway 10 reconstruction project will force the company to figure out a new route for its trucks. He says they will probably have to be diverted to back roads as they cannot wait in a lineup in the morning.
“It is going to have so many bad effects on my business, it is staggering,” says Chapman. “There is no good route to get around Flesherton when this work is going on.”
While Chapman recognized the funding received from the government presents an opportunity to fix local roads and is in support of upgrading local infrastructure, he’s concerned about the financial impact for his business.
“I could lose millions by you guys doing this in the summer,” the ice cream maker’s COO says. “There (are) about 300 transport trucks going in and out of our facility every single week in the summer. The mitigation strategy we will have to use for this is certainly going to cost us a lot more man hours for our drivers. It will cost us a lot more fuel and that is the only thing that we can predict at this point.”
Grey Highlands Director of Transportation and Public Spaces Chris Cornfield says the plan is to ensure there will only ever be one lane closed during construction.
“There will always be traffic, there will be no full lane closures,” Cornfield says. “And each evening, both lanes will be open.”
Cornfield adds the project could start as early as July, with a planned completion target of summer 2024.